Stainless Steel Fender Welt

[hilgretasmom1]

I have purchsed stainless fender welt that is hollow and has a cloth/plastic leg inserted into the hollow. I have ruined $100 worth as I have not figured out how to bend it without it kinking. If the wall thickness of the bead was thicker it would be more malleable without kinking. I would appreciateany tips from someone who has actually installed this and would appreciate sources for good quality stainless welting.

[jpage]

I used to sell this stuff and I think most ,if not all of it,comes from Dennis Carpenter who I think makes it. You don't specify your application but it was designed to replace the stainless welt on some Fords that didn't need a very tight radius bend. As with any tubular item ,it's going to be hard to bend. Take your time and bend it slowly,working along the length of the welt a little at a time. Don't try to bend it all at once. It must stretch to form a bend or it will kink. You might try a tight fitting spring type tubing bender,bending around a wooden form or applying heat from a high temp heat gun(no open flames),being careful not to destroy the leg. The heat may anneal it enough to facilitate a tighter bend. If you're just looking for a chrome look,there is a chrome foil welt available. It is a foil core wrapped in a clear plastic cover that makes it look like chrome. Not sure how long it will last,never sold too much of it! Sometimes you have to work with what's available just because that's all you have! Just take care and take your time and you should get it formed. I have done some myself and it can be a bugger!!

[DavidAU]

I have never used it but I would think that you would have to cut the tail section thru to the back of the tube part with a pair of tin snips every inch or so to enable it to overlap.
This will allow the tube to curve. If you dont cut the tail part to allow it to shrink, the tube section would have to stretch to compensate for the curve and that wont happen.

The only other possible way would be to put the tail through a shrinking machine however I'm not sure the material would be thick enough for that to work.

[jpage]

Dave, The leg on the stainless welt is made from the same material as the laquered cloth welt so it does flex alot. The metal is rolled around the leg. The problem is the fact that the metal is rolled into a tube which will not bend easily!

[c49er]

Tough to bend this stuff for a 46-8 Mopar rear fender!

[Curti]

I needed to bend some rigid thin wall tubing at a very tight angle. I filled the tubing with fine sand then annealed the tubing. The bend could only be done with my fingers as there is no tool that has a small enough radius.
Possibly you can sacrifice a couple of securing tabs to aneal the metal. It will discolor, but maybe it can be buffed to it's natural shine.